List of Prime Ministers and Deputy Prime Ministers of India Since Independence

The Prime Minister of India is the chief executive of the Government of India. The Deputy Prime Minister, on the other hand, is not a constitutional post, but is usually held by a member holding an important cabinet portfolio. Buzzle brings you a list of post-independence India's Prime Ministers and their Deputies.

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Gulzarilal Nanda was the interim Prime Minister of India following the deaths of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 and Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966. Both his terms culminated after the ruling Indian National Congress party members elected a new Prime Minister.

India has had 15 Prime Ministers since its independence from British rule in 1947. The country's first Prime Minister was Jawaharlal Nehru, who was sworn-in on the day of India's independence―August 15, 1947. The Prime Minister is the chief of government, chief adviser to the President of India, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader party or coalition that has a majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament.

The post of Deputy Prime Minister is not an official one. It is held by a member of the cabinet who has the Home or Finance portfolio. The position has been brought into effect mostly within a coalition or during times of national emergency, when a chain of command is deemed necessary.

List of Indian Prime Ministers

Jawaharlal Nehru (1947 - 1964) and Dr. Manmohan Singh (2004 - 2014) were the only two prime ministers to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term. Gurzarilal Nanda was the stand-in Prime Minister after the deaths of Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Indira Gandhi was the first and only woman to hold this post in the country, having two terms in office, first from 1966 to 1977 and then from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first Prime Minister from a party other than the Indian National Congress (INC) to have completed a full five-year term. He held office for two terms, the first one lasting for a mere 13 days, and the second from 1998 to 2004.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Term: 15 August 1947 - 27 May 1964Party: Indian National CongressElected from: Phulpur

Gulzarilal Nanda

Term: 27 May 1964 - 9 June 1964
11 January 1966 - 24 January 1966Party: Indian National CongressElected from: Sabarkantha

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Term: 9 June 1964 - 11 January 1966Party: Indian National CongressElected from: Allahabad

The post of Deputy Prime Minister, being an unofficial one, has only been occupied intermittently. The first person to hold the post was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was the Home Minister under Jawaharlal Nehru's leadership. Thereafter, the country has had only 6 individuals holding the post.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Term: 15 August 1947 - 15 December 1950Party: Indian National CongressPrime Minister: Jawaharlal NehruPrimary post held: Minister of Home Affairs